IMPHAL, Feb 12 - Weeks after the demand for a frontier Nagaland in neighbouring Nagaland by Eastern Nagaland Public Organisation, a district demand committee has been demanding conversion of Manipur’s longest serving Chief Minister’s Assembly constituency into a separate district.
The District Demand Committee(DCC), Phungyar Assembly Constituency in Manipur’s Ukhrul district has decided to exert pressure on the Government and submit a memorandum to Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh in this regard.
The DCC want segregation of Phungyar AC from Ukhrul and declaring it as the 10th district of Manipur. It is the collective aspiration of the people in the four sub-divisions of Phungyar AC which was the home constituency of the State’s longest serving Chief Minister Rishang Keishing before he became Rajya Sabha MP following his defeat in the last Assembly poll.
“We’re demanding Phungyar as the 10th district of Manipur as we’re socially, economically, financially and educationally backward compared to others even though it has a bigger geographical area”, KV Son, secretary of the DCC said. “We need special attention like the rest of the State”.
Altogether, 121 village chiefs under Phungyar’s four sub-divisions-Phungyar, Kamjong, Kasom Khullen and Sahamphung covering an area of 2,500 sq km with a population of more than 50,000 took a decision in this regard at the local MLA Wungnaoshang Keishing’s official quarter in Imphal on Thursday prior to submitting the memorandum.
“The administration here can further be enhanced by conglomeration of these four sub-divisions and establishing Phungyar as the district headquarter”, the memorandum said. “In order to bring about better governance towards people living in these areas, creation of this new district would address the social and economic issues of these areas, alleviate poverty and improve living standards”.
Villagers living under Phungyar’s 146 villages(2001 census) depend on jhum cultivation. Chillies cultivated at Chatrik and Chahong villages of the AC are famous for its taste and hot flavour. Manipur has 9 districts-Imphal West,Imphal East, Thoubal, Bishnupur, Chandel, Churachandpur, Senapati, Tamenglong and Ukhrul.